India’s men’s hockey team lost their sixth game out of six at the Olympics on Saturday when a 3-2 defeat to South Africa condemned them to 12th and last place in the tournament.
It was the first time that the eight-time champions had gone through an Olympics without winning a match.
“We keep making the same mistakes all the time. We have to be aggressive. It was emotionally tough conceding the second goal. We have to be tough in the circle in future,” said Sardar Singh, one of the team’s star players.
“We have to improve a lot. It’s very disappointing. The whole team has been mentally affected.”
Andrew Cronje gave South Africa an eighth-minute lead before Sandeep Singh levelled six minutes later.
Timothy Drummond, in the 33rd minute, and Lloyd Norris-Jones, after 64 minutes, gave South Africa a two-goal cushion before Dharmavir Singh reduced the margin for India in the 66th.
Belgium scored their first Olympic win over Spain since the Montreal Games 36 years ago as two goals from Tom Boon helped them to a 5-2 win and a final placing of fifth. The victory seemed likely from the second minute when Jerome Dekeyser dived in front of the goalkeeper to make a clever deflection from a short corner and put the Belgians in the lead. Spain may still have been suffering from the disappointment of two late penalty corner decisions being overturned as they pushed for the goal against Great Britain which would have earned them a semi-final place.
For just a brief phase they looked capable of getting back into it, leading to Ramon Alegre’s equaliser with a neat glance from a short corner after 20 minutes.
But Boon restored the Belgians’ lead only two minutes later, and that was followed by one of the most spectacular goals of the entire Games as Florent van Aubel made it 3-1.
When a fierce diagonal drive was launched by Dekeyser towards the Spanish penalty circle, van Aubel hurtled forward, steered the ball upwards and sideways over the goalkeeper, and pitched into a violent tumble.
That injured his right shoulder, and after being helped off van Aubel took no further part. But his dramatic effort inspired the Belgians, and when opportunist goals from Boon and Thomas Briels made it 5-1 a rout was threatened. But Spain rallied and Eduard Tubau pulled one back late on.
Belgium clinch fifth spot in men’s hockey
Belgium scored their first men’s hockey Olympic win over Spain since the Montreal Games 36 years ago as two goals from Tom Boon helped them to a 5-2 win and a final placing of fifth on Saturday. The victory seemed likely from the second minute when Jerome Dekeyser dived in front of the goalkeeper to make a clever deflection from a short corner and put the Belgians in the lead. Thereafter they looked the livelier, faster running side, and already had a strong grip on the match by half-time, when they led 4-1. Spain may still have been suffering from the disappointment of two late penalty corner decisions being overturned as they pushed for the goal against Great Britain which would have earned a semi-final place. For a brief phase they looked capable of getting back into it, leading to Ramon Alegre’s equaliser with a neat glance from a short corner after 20 minutes. But Boon restored the Belgians’ lead only two minutes later, and that was followed by one of the most spectacular goals of the entire Games as Florent van Aubel made it 3-1 — and injured himself in the process. When a fierce diagonal drive was launched by Dekeyser towards the Spanish penalty circle, van Aubel hurtled forward, steered the ball upwards and sideways over the goalkeeper, and pitched into a violent tumble. That injured his right shoulder, and after being helped off van Aubel took no further part. But his dramatic effort inspired the Belgians, and when opportunist goals from Boon and Thomas Briels made it 5-1 a rout was threatened. But Spain rallied and Eduard Tubau pulled one back late on.
